Burn This Town To The Ground
by Daba91
Summary: By day, it would appear to be a pretty decent place, but once the sun goes down, people like me come out, and tonight, will be the craziest night this town has seen in a long time. Tonight, this town will burn. This is where it all starts.
1. 7:45pm

_**Okay, So here's the deal. I have had many story ideas flying around in my head for awhile now and after having a long talk with my cousin, (who puts up with me as I talk about said ideas) I had the idea to just post several stories all at once. So in addition to writing "Leave Out All The Rest" I will be writing this story and two others; titled, "Across The Hall" & "No One Else" both of which will be posted within the next few weeks, but I decided to post this story now. It's different, but has an exciting concept that I hope you'll like. It will follow several different character's and viewpoints, and deals with some really dark themes, such as, Murder, Drugs, Rape, & Prostitution. I'm keeping it as light as I possibly can, so to stay on course with the terms of service, so keep that in mind before you decide to read it. Thank you for reading this, and I hope you enjoy my new story.**_

_**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended**_

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"_By day, it would appear to be a pretty decent place, but once the sun goes down, people like me come out, and tonight, will be the craziest night this town has seen in a long time." – Bella Swan_

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Prologue

**_Bella's, P.O.V._**

7:45p.m.

Lies are hurtful. They're made to be, and if they weren't, people wouldn't make them up to begin with. What the people that make up the lies fail to realize, is that the truth is ten times worse. Especially when the truth is what forces you to accept the reality that no matter how many times you tell yourself otherwise, or how imaginative you will yourself to be; your life is, and will always be a meaningless, cruel, and fucked up existence, and when you go to sleep at night and wake up the following morning, it'll still be that way. That's truth for you. Pure, uncensored, and undeniable truth, and it will drag you down to the darkest pits of your own personal hell if you ignore it, but hey, that's life right. Mine at least, and in Forks, this town that I call home, there's a whole lot of truth, and plenty of fucked up people to go with it. By day, it would appear to be a pretty decent place, but once the sun goes down, people like me come out, and tonight, will be the craziest night this town has seen in a long time.

This is where it all

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_**Thank you for reading. I really hope you stick with this story, even with the short Prologue, cause' the first chapter and the chapters after that are really great. To those of you who are reading or have read "Leave Out All The Rest" I will be posting the new chapter soon, i've just had some computer problems, and it's set me back, but all should, 'hopefully' be well soon, and if you haven't read, "Leave Out All The Rest" check it out, it's on my profile.**_

_**Thanks agian!**_

_**Daba91**_


	2. The Lost: 8:00pm

_**I'd like to thank everyone who has taken the time to read the prologue for this story. It was a lot shorter than what I usually write but I didn't think the story needed that big of an opening, given that the character's really carry it in a way that makes each chapter stand alone. So thank you. I'd also like to thank those of you who have added this story to their favorites, subscribed to it, etc. I appreciate it more than you know. I'd also like to apologize for taking so long to update, lifes been crazy, as always, but I will have more posted soon, as well as the next chapter for, "Leave Out All The Rest". I will also be posting my new stories. So thanks again.**_

**_This chapter is a repost_**

_**The song for this chapter is, "Make Me Wanna Die" by "The Pretty Reckless" **_

_**Disclaimer:**__** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended**_

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"_My father always said that I could do no wrong in his eyes. I wonder what he'd say if he could see me now." – Bella Swan_

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CH.1: The Lost

_**Bella's, P.O.V.**_

8:00p.m.

It's always dark before the lights come on. That's what my father used to say when I was a child and afraid of the dark. He told me that no matter how dark it got that when the lights came on they would shine brighter than the time before. It used to comfort me, but then again, most of the things he'd said did. It wasn't until I got older that I realized that words couldn't make things better. Not his words, or anyone else's for that matter. You couldn't fix the bad by putting a verbal band-aid on it. Life just didn't work that way. The first time I realized this was when I was six and my parents divorced. I guess he just wasn't enough for her anymore, so she moved on, from one guy to the next, and each one was worse than the one previous. Some kept to themselves, ignoring me as my mother catered to their every whim, some played nice and tried to be my friend when in the presence of my mother, and the others… the others watched. They'd come home with my mother, smile, joke, and laugh, but when my mother wasn't looking their eyes would always find me. Luckily for me, most of them kept their distance and the others, I avoided skillfully. That was until my mother met Phil when I was fourteen.

He stood at 5'9" with light brown hair and the dullest gray eyes I'd ever seen. He seemed nice enough, like they all did during first introductions, and my mother was as sure as she always was that he was the one. So naturally I expected him to stay a week and leave like the ones before him, but for whatever reason, he stayed, and my mother was the happiest I'd ever seen her, and given that she was only happy when a new guy was around, and she'd burned through an uncountable number of them, that was a true shock. So he moved in, and after the third week my mother was pressuring me to call him dad, but it never felt right, and clearly he agreed as he laughed it off. Looking back on it, I had to hand it to him. The bastard was slick. I never saw him, not like the others. I'd thought I'd felt his eyes on me more than once but every time I checked to see, he would be looking somewhere else. So when, 'it' happened, I wasn't ready, I didn't see it coming. My mother had gone to work early, and I was left alone at home. It wasn't entirely abnormal given that I usually was when she left but that day was different. Cause' that day, Phil was home.

I don't remember it all, whether because I blacked out or, blocked it out, but I remember it. I also remember my heartbreak, when I told my mother what had happened and she refused to believe me. I remember her calling me a liar, and a ray of many other colorful names. All the while, Phil just stood there with that damn smirk on his face, the same smirk he wore whenever he'd won something, like a bet, or an argument. He looked completely and totally satisfied. So that night, the time of day I hated the most. I slipped into my mothers room, lifted the knife I gotten from the kitchen, and I stabbed him. I stabbed him three times in the stomach, and I ran. With my small duffel slung over my shoulder, I ran. Out through the front door and into the dark of the night. I'd ran as far as I could, as fast as I could, and before I knew it, my skinny, worn, legs had brought me to a whole nether County. To say that I was scared would have been a lie, I was so beyond scared that it hurt, but I couldn't go back, I could never go back. Sure Phil deserved what I'd did to him, but who would believe me when my own mother would not. So when I found a park somewhere in that unfamiliar town, I sat on a bench and I cried. I hadn't exactly thought everything through, I knew I had to hurt him, like he'd hurt me, and that I just couldn't let it happen again, but I'd never thought about what I would do afterwards. I couldn't call my mother; I could never trust her again, obviously, given that I wouldn't be in this situation if she had believed me, and the idea of calling my father terrified me. I hadn't seen or spoken to him since I was eight, before any and all forms of contact ceased. Would he be mad about what I'd done, would he believe me when I told him what Phil had done, or would he turn his back on me like my mother. Most importantly, would he care? After giving it some thought, admittedly not a lot of thought, I decided against it. Even if my father did believe me, he wouldn't have had been able to protect me from what I had done, cause' even if Phil did hurt me, there were laws against me claiming retribution. Besides, last I'd heard, my father had met someone knew and had a new family, and he didn't need me messing that up. So there, on that cold, wood bench I sat, thinking about what I would do next. I thought hard, I did, but nothing seemed logical, and before I knew it, the run had caught up to me and I had fallen asleep.

When I awoke, there were police officers staring down at me. I thought that they knew, about what I'd done to Phil, but when one of them had asked me what my name was and what I was doing, sleeping in a park, I knew that wasn't the case. So in a split second decision, I lied. I told the officers that me name was Marie Molina, Marie being my middle name, and Molina, being the name of one of my mothers former boyfriend's, and from what I remember of him, he wasn't a watcher. Luckily for me a desperate lie can be the most convincing, because they bought it. They took me to the station, and asked me questions about my life, and with every question, I told a different lie. I told them that I lived in Seattle, Washington, because I'd heard of it before, and it was far enough away from Phoenix as I'd thought possible, I was a kid after all. I told them that although I was from Seattle, I didn't have a home, and that I didn't have parents. They wrote it all down, and after a short while, they filed me as a homeless orphan, which worked out perfectly given that there were no records of a Marie Molina in any system they could find, or at least not any that matched me, so it made every lie I'd told more believable. Homeless orphan was not particularly a title I liked but if it kept me safe and away from Phil and my mother I'd take it.

Just a few short days later I found myself being taken to a Seattle group home, which is just a nicer name for an orphanage. I can't say I liked it there, but it was decent and the woman who ran it, Ms. Cope, was a sweet lady in her own right. So I stayed, for three years I stayed, and within those three years I did chores, I helped cook, and I helped look after the younger kids, and although it wasn't ideal living, I was happy, I was safe. Then the other shoe dropped. Just six months after my seventeenth birthday Ms. Cope suffered a stroke and not two days later she died. For the first time in three years I'd felt helpless, Ms. Cope was flawed in her own way as were all people, but she lived to make us happy, and to make sure that we had a place to call home, and when she was gone, I didn't know what would happen to me. Then three days later, my answer came in the form of a social worker in a pinstriped suit and a clipboard. Her name eludes me, it wasn't important, what was important was that the others and me were being moved to a temporary home until they could find permanent 'placement' for us. It was like we weren't even people, but single dolls in a collection of many, being propped up in a display case, and the thought irritated me. So when I was 'placed' in my new home, I rebelled, and with good cause. The man who ran the home, Marcus was the devil incarnate. He wasn't a watcher or anything, but he was an ass who liked to beat on kids and he treated us like we were the scum of the earth. It wasn't until he was using one of the younger kids as a punching bag to work out his drunken rage that I decided to step in. That didn't end too well, for either of us. He suffered a mild concussion, from when I hit him over the head with the leg of an old wooden chair, and I suffered a cracked rib from when he threw me into said chair, causing it to break.

After that, it was the same old shit, he spent time in jail and was relieved of his title as head of house and when they brought the next jerk in to fill his place I left. In the middle of the night when the others were sleeping, I left. It wasn't an exciting exit like, me climbing out of the window and scaling a drainpipe, I just simply grabbed my stuff and walked right out the front door. It wasn't like there was anything keeping me there, it was an unspoken bond that forced me and the others to look after one another when we could but I wasn't close to any of them and we definitely weren't friends, so I didn't even miss them when I left, but there I was once again, sitting in a different park, on a different night, with no clue as to what the hell I was going to do with myself. I had never had a job, I had no place to stay, I didn't know anyone in Seattle, and I wasn't even eighteen yet, not for another couple of months anyway. So I trekked, I just started walking in hopes that I would end up somewhere nice, and since I'd been smart enough to lift some food from the home before I left, I wouldn't stave for at least a few days, but I hoped that, that would be enough time for me to figure out my next move. After an insanely long walk, some very depressing inner dialogue, and catching a ride with a nun, believe it or not, I ended up in a place I'd never thought I'd see again. Forks.

The town that stood alone. Most people overlooked it as it was just another town, but it was truly anything but. Forks, was fair in size and looked fairly nice during the day. It wasn't day that attracted people to it, though. It was the night, or at least, the things that went on in the night. To someone passing through town during the day it would look somewhat normal, but if they drove through town at night, it was like a whole nether world. A darker world where rules didn't exist, authority was challenged, and crime was simply a way of living. In retrospect, it probably wasn't a smart choice for a girl like me to go there, but without any other excuse, I was desperate, and seeing as how my own morals had been challenged for years, I figured that living in one of the most morally skewed places on earth only made sense.

And on my first day there, I saw a sign, and I really mean a sign. It was the sign of a grocery mart and I was low on food so I decided to try my hand at stealing. Given some of the things I've done in my life, lifting a few snack items didn't seem so bad. So as I was stuffing one damn good looking apple into my coat pocket I couldn't help but smile. It was actually pretty easy I'd thought, until I'd felt something tap my shoulder. I don't know how, but I'd resisted the urge to groan as I turned around and came face to face with some mans large chest.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing snaking items from the grocery mart?" The giant whose chest I was staring at asked. I tilted my head back so I could see his face and couldn't help but smile when I did. He was huge, massive, and that intimidated me, but his face, it was… warm, like the sun. He had a smile that screamed mischief but the two dimples that indented his cheeks made him look almost innocent, and his eyes were the shiniest blue I'd ever seen. He made me feel, at ease.

"What's a big guy like you watching a pretty girl like me for?" I countered and he smirked, impressed that I didn't cower.

"I've got an eye for pretty girls," He answered with a shrug. "It's sort of my job."

"And what job is that?" I asked, furrowing my brows, unsure of what he meant. "Are you… what, some sort of pimp?"

He laughed, a thunderous laugh, gaining the attention from several customers, before replying. "No silly girl. I guess you could say I'm a bit of a talent scout, I own a club on the side of town called 'The Lounge" and beautiful women are my business."

I laughed at that. "You own a strip club?"

"And I make a shit load of money," He smiled, unashamed. "This town is all about temptation and underline desires, and I found a way to make a profit off of that, hell, most people here have."

"Oh, was that your childhood dream?" I joked. "To be a 'talent scout'?"

"No I wanted to be a doctor," He said somewhat serious, "But living in this town, changes the way you look at life. The people too, so I figured if you can't beat 'em."

"Join 'em?" I finished.

"Not exactly." He laughed. "But close, it's really more like, if you can't beat 'em, play 'em at their own games."

"Appealing to peoples desires." I stated.

"You're a smart girl." He mused.

"I guess."

"So that raises the same question." He started. "What's a pretty girl like you doing snaking items from the grocery mart."

"Perpetuating the cycle." I answered unfocused.

"Of?"

"Of the standard perception people have on runaways with nowhere to go," I deadpanned. "We either sell our bodies, steal for food, slip into a life of crime, spend the rest of our lives feeling sorry for ourselves, or we just die, cold and alone under some bridge, and if we're really lucky, we'll do it all in that order."

He looked thoughtful for a minute before responding. "Well you don't seem like the type of girl who would resort to selling her body, and you can't steal worth a shit so I think that veto's two of the things on your list, 'cause if you can't steal for food then a life of crime just isn't in your future and you won't die cold and alone under a bridge."

"What makes you so sure?" I asked.

"'Cause I wont let you." He answered simply.

"What does that mean?" I questioned, confused.

"I can give you a place to stay." He offered.

"Really?" I asked in disbelief. "And just why would you do that?"

"Well it wouldn't be for free." He smirked.

"Look…" I started, realizing that I hadn't gotten his name.

"Emmett." He offered.

"Emmett," I bit. "You were right when you said that I didn't seem like the type to sell my body so if that's what your looking for than you might as well stop wasting both yours and my time."

"No, no." He sighed. "I'm not asking for you to fuck me, which truthfully, I wouldn't be apposed to, I'm offering you a place to stay, and in exchange, you can come to work for me at "the Lounge"."

"To do what exactly?" I asked stupidly, already knowing the answer.

"Come on," He chided, knowing just as well as I did that it was a dumb question. "You've got a killer body and men would pay good money to see you. All you have to do is dance."

"And swing around a pole, while men stare at my exposed tits." I laughed humorlessly.

"It's easy money, and you look like you could use a bit of money and a place to stay. Mind you, you are stealing from a store." He pressed.

"I'm sorry, I just, I can't; I… can't do that." I stuttered as my thoughts became a jumbled mess, with just the smallest consideration of this mans offer.

"Well," He sighed. "How bout this, you come to the club with me now, get a feel for it, see how you like it, and if you don't want to do it, I wont bother you again, but if you do agree to it, I'll let you keep your cloths on while onstage. Think of it as go-go dancing."

"And why would you let me do that?" I asked, mistrusting.

He grinned. "I like you, you've got attitude, and I like that, plus. You've got this whole, innocent look to you, and if we play with that by giving the men just a hint of what's underneath, without bearing it all, then we might just be able to make a nice bit of change. What do you say?"

I can't tell you what I was thinking at the time, if I was thinking at all, but what I can tell you is that I said yes. Emmett paid for the items I'd lifted and then led me to the parking lot where his Hummer sat. He helped me in and after he climbed into the drivers seat, turned the key in the ignition, and shifted the gear into drive, he flew out of the parking lot and down the road. We drove for twenty minutes before pulling into the parking lot of what one could only assume given the sign out front, was "The Lounge". I had to hand it to Emmett though, the place was beautiful, and it was like an oasis, like it's own little spot in the world. The whole front of the building was a glossy, off-white color, and it had pillars, lining the walkway before the entrance. A large fountain, with a sculpture of a naked woman with angel wings stood in the curved driveway, which Emmett commented was only for V.I.P. guests. So he parked there, and a young man whose name I didn't catch opened my door for me and helped me out of the Hummer. Emmett then came around the car and placed his hand on my lower back as he ushered me in through the front entrance, passed the bouncer, whose name I did catch. Jared, it was.

I stepped onto the main floor of "The Lounge" and was simply blown away. It was amazing. The main floor was solid marble and matched perfectly with the shimmering black walls. The bar was made of metal and glass, and every last drink on the shelves was arranged perfectly. Large, lounge chairs sat scattered around the main stage, and several smaller chairs sat around the smaller stages. Where I stood, chairs and tables lined the floor, giving it a classic restaurant look, not that I'd ever been to one myself, but I'd seen pictures, and in two corners of the room, large wrap around sofa's curved to the wall with tables in front of them. I also noticed that those areas had their own smaller bars. To my right, on the opposite side of the room from the bar, was a hallway, similar to the one on the side of the bar. Only where that one had several doors, this one had long emerald green curtains. I'd asked Emmett what those rooms were. He told me that they were for private dances. After that, he showed me his office; the backrooms were the other girls relaxed, and the kitchen, 'cause according to Emmett, there's nothing like dinner and a decent view. Overall the place was great, but that didn't change how I felt. My nerves were all over the place. I was terrified.

"What's wrong babe?" He asked, looking a little disappointed, probably assuming that I wasn't in.

"It's just a lot." I chuckled, nervously.

"I know, but I really think you should consider it." He hedged.

I don't know what it was that came over me, desperation maybe, insanity, or maybe it was Emmett, and those eyes, but before I knew it. I found myself saying. "Yes."

"Great!" Emmett boomed, wrapping his large arms around me and lifting me off the ground. His eyes burned into mine. "I promise you, you'll like it here. I'll take good care of you, but first, there's something I need to know."

"What's that?" I whispered, breathlessly.

"What's your name?" He asked.

And just like that, I said my real name for the first time in years, "Bella… my names Bella, but if it's alright with you I'd like to keep that between us, and if anyone else asks. My name is Marie."

"Bella," He whispered, running his hand across my cheek. "It's suits you, and Marie's nice too."

"Thanks."

That was a little over a year ago. That was the night I danced for the first time, just for Emmett so he could get a feel of what I could do. I guess I didn't do too badly, what with the smile he wore on his face when I was done, and the sweet words he'd said to me. After that we talked, he told me that he'd have one of the other girls work with me to show me the ropes, and that he'd introduce me to the others when night fell. When it did, I was shocked at how crazy the place got. Emmett told me that it was a quiet night, which worried me because the place was packed, and as some girls took to the stage and others led men into the curtained rooms, I wandered if I could really do it, but as the night went on I became more and more relaxed as I watched. The girls didn't seem too bothered by the constant hooting and howling from the men and Emmett and the bouncers kept a close eye on things, but in truth, none of that is what finally swayed my decision. What did was the money, and given what I come, from I'm not ashamed to say it. Some of the girls made eight hundred dollars that night alone and after seeing that, I just couldn't turn away. I was desperate.

So I danced, and I danced, then I danced a little more, getting better and better as time went on, which was good seeing as how my first time was a little awkward, but I remember when one of the other girls, Angela, who worked there as she pursued a career in child education, told me that after a while you don't even notice the men. I wasn't to sure at the time given that I was nervous out of my mind and wasn't even sure I could trust her since most of the other girls didn't accept the fact that Emmett let me dance without going full nude. They'd talk when they thought I couldn't hear them, saying that I was sleeping with him and he didn't want his whore to be on display in front of other men, which was a sad lie. Now if I'm being totally honest, I have had sex with Emmett, and still do on occasion, but that wasn't until after I'd been working at the club for three months. It isn't like some boss, employee, romance or even some sleazy, sexual fantasy. It's about two very close friends, one of which works constantly and hasn't found 'the one' and the other being emotionally scared and unable to trust anyone else. I love Emmett, I do, and damn if he doesn't make me feel good, when he's inside of me, but that's as far as it goes. It's not true love, it's the love you have for the one person in the world that you can trust completely, and I do trust Emmett. I trust him with my body, my heart, and I even trust him with my secrets. He's the only person in the world who knows who I really am, and I know him too. Not in the same way, he doesn't talk about his family life or anything related to it, but I know who he is as a person, and the nights we're together, after we wear our bodies down, we lay in bed and we talk. Emmett tells me he loves me too, but in the same way I love him so there's no misunderstanding. We're just comfortable with each other, and to us that's all that matters. So it doesn't matter if the others think Emmett is playing favorites, it doesn't hurt me, and it doesn't hurt him. Especially with the amount of money I pull in a night. I guess guys really do like that whole innocent look.

Angela was right though, even if I didn't see it at the time. After a while, you don't notice the men. It's like you're in your own little world, like everything is dark around you and it's just you and the music. You don't even have to think, you just move, and when the music stops and everything comes into focus around you, it's a rush you would believe.

I gaze into the crowd now and I see the same things I always see. Watchers; but they don't scare me because I'm safe in my own little world where nobody can touch me, I'm untouchable.

Another song starts and the men's howls grow louder. This, is what they want, what they came for, what they always come for, It's the very reason they leave their homes, where their girlfriends, wives, and children sit and wait for them, but that's not my concern nor my problem. I'm just here to get paid. So like all the times before, I close my eyes, grab the pole tightly, and I slip back into my world.

_Take me I'm alive  
Never was a girl with a wicked mind  
But everything was better when sun goes down_

_I had everything  
Opportunities for eternity  
And I couldn't long to the night  
Your eyes, your eyes  
I can see in your eyes  
Your eyes_

I slowly ark my body and slide down the pole, with my back pressed against it. I sway my hips just a little, to make it all the more sexy, not that it would matter, given the skin tight, dark blue, dress I'm wearing. The invisible crowd was already lost. Lost in the dance, lost in the music, and lost in their individual imaginations, which at the moment, were centered on me.

_You make me wanna die  
I'll never be good enough  
You make me wanna die  
And everything you love, will burn up in the light  
And every time I look inside your eyes  
You make me wanna die_

I wrap my legs around the pole, and allow my body to swing gracefully around it. A small breeze hits my face and my hair flows against it. It reminds me of when I was a child and my father would lift me up into the air and swing me around as fast as he could, it makes me feel free.

_Taste me, drink my soul  
Show me all the things that I shouldn't know  
And there's a new moon on the rise_

_I had everything  
Opportunities for eternity  
And I couldn't long to the night  
Your eyes, your eyes  
I can see in your eyes  
Your eyes everything in your eyes, your eyes_

I slow my movements and ever so slowly, I run my free hand up my body lightly, before reaching towards the zipper that ran from the valley of my breasts and all the way down to my thighs. I pull it down as slow as I can, revealing the black lace bra and panties I wore beneath, and all the skin surrounding them.

_You make me wanna die  
I'll never be good enough  
You make me wanna die  
And everything you love, will burn up in the light  
And every time I look inside your eyes, burning in the light  
You make me wanna die_

The beat slows as the lights emanate a soft glow, giving my naturally pale body a sparkling tan. The voices around me pick up out of excitement and I can mentally separate the new ones from the regulars. The regulars are excited even though they already know the score 'cause if they weren't, they wouldn't keep coming back, and the newbies, they scream for more, but they aren't getting it. This is as far as it goes, but they'll come back. Just like all the others, they'll come back, hoping, waiting, that one day they'll see what they've been fantasizing about from the first moment they stepped foot in this place. To them I was like a rose, growing in a field of weeds. Perfect, untouched, and beautiful, but like they wanted to see that rose bloom, they wanted to see the full glory of my body. They wouldn't though, because as long as I was on this stage, I was in control, I was powerful, and I was safe. I love my world.

_I'll die for you my love, my love  
I'll lie for you my love, my love, make me wanna die  
I'll steal for you, my love, my love, make me wanna die  
I'll die for you my love, my love  
Well burn up in the light_

_And every time I look inside your eyes  
I'm burning in the light  
Look inside your eyes  
I'm burning in the light  
You make me wanna die_

The song fades; the crowd roars, and the lights die down. I hate the dark, but it keeps me from seeing the watching faces of the voices around me. It allows me to crawl back inside myself without them seeing. It takes away the stronger, more powerful version of me and brings back to the quiet and complicated nineteen-year-old girl that I was when they weren't looking. The darkness strips away all that lies on the surface and leaves me as bare as they wish to see me. I feel exposed.

It's always dark before the lights come on. That's what my father used to say when I was a child and afraid of the dark. He told me that no matter how dark it got that when the lights came on they would shine brighter than the time before. It used to comfort me, but then again, most of the things he'd said did. My father always said that I could do no wrong in his eyes. I wonder what he'd say if he could see me now

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_**I hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter will be in Edward's P.O.V. and will most likely be followed up by Alice's. So be sure to keep reading, and for those of you who haven't read my story, "Leave Out All The Rest" check it out. It's a good read.**_

_**Please Review And Let Me Know What You Thought!**_

_**Daba91**_


	3. The Drifter: 8:30pm

_**Hey… look, a new chapter! That's so funny; the last chapter was posted exactly one year ago today… Oh, Ooops, (Cringes slightly and looks around nervously), did I just say one year. Well… isn't that something. Firstly, allow me to apologize for not updating this story in well… you know how long. A lot has happened in the past year, and I will not bore you with the details, but please know that I am sorry, and that this will not happen again. I really love this story and the concept I've created, and fully intend to see it through to the end, long before the next year.**_

_**Also, I would like to keep the opening author's note short, so please read the closing author's note after you've read the chapter. **_

_**This story follows several different characters and viewpoints, and deals with some really dark themes, such as, Murder, Drugs, Rape, & Prostitution. I'm keeping it as light as I possibly can, so to stay on course with the terms of service, so keep that in mind before you decide to read it. Thank you for reading this, and I hope you enjoy the story.**_

_**Disclaimer:**__** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended**_

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"_I used to be a pretty decent guy, I think, but then I got fucked by this bitch called life." – Edward Cullen_

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CH.2: The Drifter

_**Edward's P.O.V.**_

8:30p.m.

I used to be a pretty decent guy, I think, but then I got fucked by this bitch called life. I mean, seriously, I had what most would consider a picture perfect life. I spent my early years blissfully ignorant of the world around me and I gotta say, looking back on it, that was probably the best time of my life. I mean, I actually felt like I was a part of something then. I had a family, and friends, and the world just looked beautiful then. When you're young everything is exciting and your imagination drives you. The whole world is your playground and you rarely have to suffer the consequences of your own actions. Life is beautiful.

Then you grow up and realize that the world wasn't what you always thought it was. It's a cold and dark place and you pay for the choices you make in ways you would have never thought possible, and you begin to see the things you missed with your young eyes. Then life isn't so beautiful anymore. Some people drive themselves crazy trying to keep the perfect image they've created for themselves, and the rest of us, well, we just embrace it; which brings me to where I am now.

I can't pinpoint the exact point of my downfall. It was slow build of events that started freshman year of high school and continued on right through to graduation. I don't even know when it started. I mean, I started playing football freshman year, which was a pretty big deal, as I was the youngest player to ever be on the Forks High team, and with that honor came certain expectations. I had to go to all the major parties, hook up with the hottest girls, and boy did I, and when everyone else was using, I had to too. However, unlike most of the people I used with, I couldn't stop. For me, it wasn't a social habit, or an every now and then release, it was the release. It was the only way I grew to know how to function. It kept me safe from every emotion that had ever threatened to break me, and I just wasn't ready to give that up.

Unfortunately, that meant that I had to give up other things, like my parents for instance, my loving and caring parents. And of course, my freakishly intelligent, quiet, shy, baby brother. He was probably the hardest to give up, but sadly, it was _so_ easy to do then. I guess everything was easy then, but hey, as doped up as I was, why wouldn't it be.

Sometimes I think of them. My brother mostly, he was who I was closest to after all. Before I became the tragic, classic, tale of a promising youth who pathetically crumbled under peer pressure, and was now deemed a walking statistic, he and I were actually incredibly close. We never had that older brother can't stand annoying younger brother relationship. Granted, my baby brother wasn't _really_ that much younger than me, just three years. But he was cool, laid back, and when he wanted to be, he was really funny. I was always so proud to be his older brother. I knew that one day he was going to grow up and be something amazing, like a doctor, or a lawyer, or hell, maybe even a rocket scientist or some shit. The kid had the brains, and the will, he wasn't a fuck up like me. Hell, if I'd had even a sliver of his brains I would have never started messing around with coke in the first place. I would have just kept smokin' weed, and been happy.

But… as fate would have it, there was only room in my family for three genius's, and I just had to be the odd addict out. Genetics are a funny thing. They can either go North or South, Right or Left. No matter how strong one side was; somebody was always getting screwed out of the deal.

So here I am, years later. I finally came back home, well, Forks actually. I've been here for a while, but have just been staying out of view. I haven't seen my family yet either. I'm not really sure I can, it's been so long. Hell, I'm not even sure if they're still here. I guess you could say that this trip was sort of a spur of the moment kinda thing. I was sort of living all over the place, never staying in one spot for too long, a drifter, some called me, but I was always to out of it to care where the hell I was. I just kept roaming around like an observing apparition, ending up in places like Florida, New York, Chicago, California, and New Orleans. What amazed me was that I could score in just about every place I'd been. Now doesn't that speak volumes about the state of which our far and wonderful Nation is in? Damn, I'd had some good times, or, at least I think I did… can't really know for sure.

But somewhere along the way, I'd had an epiphany, the first of many actually. I realized that my behavior was both irresponsible and dangerous, and that I should get clean, and come back home. Now I can bore you with the details of how that went, or, I can just give you simple facts. That first epiphany was about three or four years ago, and so far, I have been clean seventeen days. I won't even tell you how many times I've attempted this, but let's just say that I'm definitely a masochist. However, this time is a little different, I mean, for one, this is the longest I've gone without, and two, this is the first time I actually came back to Forks. So hey, maybe this time will be different. If not, this is Forks, and as soon as the sun goes down, I know where I could find at least ten good dealers in my apartment building alone. To think, my parents moved us here from Alaska when I was four, because they thought it would be nice to live in a nice homey town in Washington, but nope, they moved us to the most whacked out spot on the planet, and let me tell you, this town… changes people. The saddest part about it is; I actually fit in comfortably here… who knew?

Damn… there's that craving again. It comes and goes, well, actually it just comes, and I've just learned to distract myself. That only works for about five minutes though, so, I've had to find other outlets to stem the almost debilitating need. Translation, I either smoke at least two packs of cigarettes a day or I fuck multiple times a day. That brings me to ask you a question that's been on my mind lately. If two of the three girls I've been fucking for the past seventeen days are still using coke themselves, does that mean that I'm still technically using. I mean, it's like the former partners principle right? You know, where they say that when you sleep with someone, you're sleeping with everyone they've ever slept with. Cause, seriously, as funny as that would be in an ironic sort of way. That would really be a bitch. Think about it, Cocaine withdrawal symptoms becoming a new STI, even my dick would be addicted. Maybe I should read up on that.

Anyway, even if it is possible, I'm out of smokes, so I'm just gonna have to chance it. I pick up my phone and dial Gianna's number, she's this hot Italian chick who lives down the hall, and although she's not my favorite of the three, she's the closest since Tanya's at work, and Mckenna, the one who doesn't use, is visiting family in California. The phone rings three times but there's no answer. I hang up with a frustrated sigh before lifting the phone a second time and trying again. If I wasn't getting any from her than I wasn't going to waste my time walking all the way down the hall to her apartment, she'd just have to answer.

"Hello?" She answered her voice hard and raspy.

"Gia, its Edward." I huff, she should already know that. She's got caller I.D and no one else calls her.

"Oh," She says with a bit more life. "Hello Edward."

"What are doing right now babe?" I ask, creating an opening.

"Nothing." She said softly.

"I was thinking about coming over," I said, turning on the charm she always melted for. "Thought that maybe we could have a little fun."

"I don't know Edward." _What?_ She never turned me down. _Ever_.

"Why not?" I ask annoyed.

I can hear her sniffling on the other side of the line, and I almost regret asking. "I just received some terrible news."

"Yeah," I ask cautiously, "What is it?"

"My father died," She cried into the phone, and this time, yes, I regret asking.

"Oh," I'm not really sure what to say to that.

"I'm just not up to fuck right now Edward," She breathes, "I blew through all my shit, and won't have money to get more til tomorrow, so I'm pretty fucking bummed out right now. But if you want, you could still come over and stay with me."

"Uh," _Fuck,_ "Yeah, look Gia, babe, I don't think I can right now."

"What the hell do you mean you don't think you can?" She screeched into the phone, making me wince on my end. "You were just trying to come over not five minutes ago!"

"I know," I shouted back. "But shit Gia, you know I'm trying to stay off that shit right now, and in order for me to do that, I can't be surrounded by any drama."

"Drama!" Damn, I probably should have thought that one through. Think before you speak. A cautionary tale, "My father just died you asshole!"

"You didn't even like your father." Man, I was really putting my foot into it today, but shit, I haven't had a fix in seventeen days, and I'm prone to douche bag behavior.

"That's not the point!"

"Look Gia," I sigh, "I don't think this thing we have is really gonna work out anymore. I mean, relationships based on sex are supposed to be complication free, and I feel like you have some issues you need to work through. Maybe when you've done that we can hook up again, but until then, we should see other people. And by other people I mean, I'll see Tanya and Mckenna, and you should see that shrink you were talking about last week. But you know, we are neighbors so we should definitely, at the very least be friends."

The line was very quiet for about a minute, before she began her verbal assault, "Bastard! I cannot fucking believe this, you stupid sonofabitch. Who the hell do you think you are? How the hell can you dump me, when we were only fucking, and you were lousy anyway? I faked every orgasm, you selfish prick. Hell, I'm surprised you could even get it up, with that little stub, you call a dick. This is not ever, do you hear me, and I know where you live. You haven't seen the last of me. There is no way in hell you're getting away with this, dumping me, you bastard!"

"I'm really glad we were able to have this conversation like adults," I smirk, knowing it was pissing her off. "I'm glad we could express our feelings, and think that we've made some serious progress, and can now effectively move on."

She releases a scream that would put a banshee to shame, and I hang up. Call me an asshole, and not only would you be right, but that would be fair. It's just that I don't do drama, or at least other peoples drama, and I made that very clear to Gia, and the other girls before I hooked up with any of them, and although it may have seemed a little bit insensitive, she didn't even like her father. Just last week, she told me that she'd wished he would die. She wasn't fooling anybody, she wanted me to buy her some coke, 'cause she's broke, and was hoping that I would become the guy who would let her cry on my shoulder, and neither was going to happen. But don't you just love how some people react to being dumped. I say people, because there are guys who also pathetically do this too.

If you get dumped get dumped gracefully. Give whoever dumped you your best fuck you smile, let your eyes convey all the hate you can possibly feel, and walk away with your dignity. Then, when they least expect it, slash their tires, tactfully bash them to all of your non mutual friends, and call the respective companies to have their gas, water, and electric turned off. That's simple right. I just don't get why people embarrass themselves by being petty and saying things that only show how desperate they are. For instance, never tell a person who has rocked your world that they were a lousy fuck, especially when you know they know better, that goes for both guys and girls. Guys should never tell a female she can't find anyone better, especially when she knows better, and has probably already found someone else. And women should never tell a guy that he has a little dick, especially when they both know better. I know Gia knows better. I reach for the zipper of my jeans and pull it down, and yup, I know better. Nobody knows how to properly fight anymore.

Picking up the phone, I dial a different number, Tanya's, sure she may be at work, but what the hell do I care. She picks up after the second ring.

"Hello Edward." She purrs. Now why the fuck didn't I call her first?

"Hey babe, how's it going?" I ask.

"Oh, its going," She sighs, "May I ask what it is I can do for you hon?"

I smirk, "No need, you already know what you can do for me."

"Mmm," She breathes, "My shift ends in about an hour. Come pick me up?"

"I'll be there." I say and hang up. Thank the lord someone's got there head on straight. Well, about as straight as Tanya's head can be. See, Tanya's got some serious issues, but god bless her, that's all I know about it, because unlike Gia's crazy ass, Tanya doesn't bother me with that shit.

I grab my jacket off the back of the worn green sofa in the living room; it's my second favorite piece of furniture out of the three pieces of furniture I own. I pull on my coat, grab my car keys off of my third favorite piece of furniture, an old beat up coffee table, and then I proceed to the front door. I exit cautiously, knowing that Gianna is just right down the hall, and as crazy as an angry bull, which, although makes for great sex, it doesn't quite make for civil conversation. Fortunately, the stairs are at the other end of the hall.

I make my way down to the first level, taking two steps at a time, as they are ridiculously narrow, and cross the small, broke down lobby to get to the main entrance door. I needed to get out of there. It wasn't until I stepped out into the fresh night air that I realized how crazy I was going inside my apartment. I've hardly left it in seventeen days, hoping that it would help me avoid temptation, which comes by the bulk here in Forks. I've only really left for food, smokes, and the ladies, but even they came over to my place most the time. So this felt good. It felt like I could breathe a little better or something, I don't know. It just felt better.

I close my eyes and tip my head back, as I breathe in as deep as I can. I lift my arms from my sides and reach out as far as I can. I think of flying, of what it would feel like if my body would just lift up of the ground. I release my breath and open my eyes. Flying is fun.

Back on point, I reach the parking lot and hop into my old silver Volvo, which my parents bought for me for graduation. They haven't seen me or the car since. Damn shame. I start her up, and make my way towards Tanya's job. It's still a bit early as she doesn't even get off for an hour, so I make a split second decision to make a small detour. Instead of making a right turn towards Tanya's job, I turned left onto an all too familiar road. I'd driven down this road a thousand times and it was always the same, nothing really changed in this town. Not the scenery, not the statistics, and definitely not the people, myself included. It was one big perpetual cycle of bullshit and anyone who lived in Forks was caught right in the middle of it.

Twenty minutes later, I found myself in front of what used to be my home. It looks the same, but different somehow. There's a small twinge in my chest and I wince slightly. Do you ever wish that you could just take something back so bad, that you would do or give anything to go back to when things went wrong and fix it? I know I do, but the tragedy of it is, is that I wouldn't even know when to go back to. Maybe my birth, maybe that's where it all went wrong, guess I'll never know.

The porch light of the large white mansion flicks on, and my already shaking body kicks into over drive as I peal out of the driveway, catching just a sliver of caramel colored hair in my rearview mirror. It was too soon, I wasn't ready to see her yet. I wasn't ready to see any of them yet. If… when I get clean, I'm not even sure if I will be ready to see them then. Some wounds go too deep, and after everything I've put them through, I'm not sure that those are wounds that can ever be healed.

I pull back onto the road, headed towards Tanya's job. I needed to get there; now, I needed to find some sort of release from the pain. I look at myself in my rearview, and like so many times before, I am disgusted by what I see. You know. I used to be a pretty decent guy, I think, but then I got fucked by this bitch called life.

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_**Alright, I hope you liked it. This chapter was actually a lot longer to begin with, but I cut it down to better fit with the storyline. You see when I write, I usually do an outline of the chapter I'm going to be writing, which basically consists of some thoughts and ideas, and an overview of where I want the chapter to go. I also add in dialogue, and descriptions I want to use. Now a standard outline will be about two pages, and sometimes, just one sentence in the outline can become five pages in a chapter. It's all a bit random, but it helps me keep track of my thoughts. This chapter outline was originally five pages, however, I only used, half of one page for what you read. The other 41/2 pages will be used in one of the other Edward P.O.V chapters.**_

_**Remember, this story follows seventeen different P.O.V's but will showcase some more than once, and the times may also jump around, depending on when a specific event is taking place, so be sure to keep track of the times, as it will help you to link in each of the stories.**_

_**Edward's P.O.V is a lot of fun to write. I sort of built some of his personality off of my personality, like the language, and some of his thoughts, or more accurately, how he thinks. Not the drugs or anything. "Laughs"**_

_**Also, if you weren't sure, an STI is an (Sexually, Transmitted, Infection), which is the more correct term for an STD, (Sexually, Transmitted, Disease), which is more commonly used, but according to my woman's health professor from last semester, it should be referred to as an STI. I personally don't care, but hey…**_

_**Next chapter will be in Alice's P.O.V, and let me warn you now, it is definitely not your typical Alice P.O.V, but it will be an interesting read, and I will try to get it posted as soon as possible, if for no other reason, than as an apology for making you read all of this.**_

"_**Leave Out All The Rest," & "No One Else," will be updated soon, promise.**_

_**Thanks for reading. Much Luv!**_

_**Daba91**_


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